Fort Foster State Park

Located in Kittery, Maine, Fort Foster is a local gem. And I must confess, in all my years of living just 20-25 minutes away this was my first visit. 

At only $10 per car you really can't beat the price. And if you go at low tide, which I highly recommend, you can walk forever.

Fort Foster Pier

Shooting in the middle of the day in full sun is always a challenge as colors tend to be blown out. Adding a little texture here and there, along with some help from Photoshop, provided the rescue these images needed. 

The photos from top to bottom are basically what you would see if you were standing on the beach looking from left to right, starting with the Pier.

The gulls had no problems finding plenty of crabs to feast on. As we walked along the beach their little bodies were strewn about in pretty good numbers. Poor guys. It's not easy being a crab.

Wood Island Life Saving Station

Unless you kayak over to the island this is about as close as you'll get to the Wood Island Life Saving Station. Through the years it's slowly deteriorated to a pretty poor state although there is a group who would like to save it. If you'd like to read more about their plans click here

Directly across the harbor sits the wonderful Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and Fort William and Mary. Want to take a tour? This weekend is the first ever Family Weekend at PHL. Check it out! 

And finally, looking up into the mouth of Piscatiqua river we see the old and quite decrepit Portsmouth Naval Prison as well as the tower of the North Church in downtown Portsmouth. 

See, I told you this is a great place to go! The views are so beautiful! Our visit was a much needed injection of bliss and peacefulness and it felt good to get back to shooting with my camera.

Hide little fella, hide!

Finally summer has arrived here in New England! 

Lighthouses on the coast

Did you think I wasn't coming back? I wasn't so sure either. Lately every time I post on my blog I wonder, "will this by my last time?". December has taken a toll on me and it seems when ever I sit down at the computer to look at my photos I just go blank. Sorting them, deciding which ones to use for a post, editing, trying to find the words ... nothing seems right. Hopefully the new year will give me some renewed energy because right now I'm sorely lacking.

Though I normally photograph something almost every day, lately my camera usually sits on the counter, all by it's lonesome. My new job is still causing me some insomnia so I imagine that's not helping the situation.

Anyway, enough about all that. Last week, on my way to go Christmas shopping, I decided to take a detour and head to New Castle Commons in hopes of lifting my spirits. The view was so lovely but it was so cold at the same time. I stayed inside my car for all of the shots below.

No, this home isn't located at New Castle Commons but it was so quaint I had to pull over and take a shot or two. If it's this adorable on the outside don't you wonder what it looks like on the inside? I do!

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse

It was a good thing I took these shots when I did because the snow had all but melted in the next couple hours.

Immature Ring-billed Gulls just chillin', literally

Whaleback Lighthouse

Like the most of the east coast we received a pretty decent snow storm last night into today. It was supposed to be a blizzard with 10"-18" but with all the blowing and drifting I don't know if we even had 7". For those of us expecting 'the big one' it was a rather weak storm. It's probably just as well seeing as how my daughter has to drive in it.

Do you have plans for New Years Eve?

Sunset/Lighthouse Cruise ~ The End

And so we journey to the end of a wonderful evening cruise. By this time is was getting pretty darned cold and I think most people had gone down onto the lower deck to try and get away from the wind. Once the sun finally set, all the photographers went down there as well.

Around this point there was a photographer frenzy on the boat. My husband said it was pretty intense. LOL! I just shot what I could and hoped for the best.




Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and Fort Constitution, formerly known as Fort William and Mary




Whaleback Lighthouse ~ 1872








The sunsets behind Wentworth By the Sea hotel




Approaching Rye Harbor my husband looks out at the remains of an incredible sunset. Besides us, the people behind us were the only ones left on the upper deck, and they were wearing jackets.

Thank you for coming along with me and leaving such wonderful comments. In real time the trip was 2 1/2 hours long. In blog time it was much longer! LOL!

What comes around goes around

Late last summer I posted this photo of the Portsmouth Harbor lighthouse:

At the beginning of December I took a trip back to New Castle to shoot the lighthouse again:

Although I love the colors in the bottom photo I still prefer the top view. And to think, all those berries used to be roses!

The Sweetest of Days: Trinity Church Cemetery, NYC

Spirit of Massachusetts in full sail

This is the second tall ship to come into Portsmouth Harbor. No big fanfare as it was running a bit late. Though not as elaborate as it's predecessor, the USCG Eagle, it's a beauty all the same.

As they came around the corner where the sun was the brightest it gave this glorious glow, almost as if it were a sunset with the water sparkling like diamonds

The sails must be quite old since they have mold, and a few repairs

Receiving an escort

A wonderful sailboat with flags from around the world to close things out

US Coast Guard Eagle Tall Ship

This was a very enjoyable shoot on a beautiful morning. The tough part was shooting into the sun, and because of it you'll notice plenty of blue in the photos due to the sun shining on the back of everything. When the USCG Eagle ship comes into the harbor you'll be able to see how white it really is.


It was pretty exciting to see all the boats start heading in! In the far background sits a large tanker. They won't be coming in until high tide later on in the day.




Hoping for full sail but it was not to be

Fort McCleary sits high on a hill across the river in Kittery, Maine



What an incredible view these guys must have! Did you notice the large golden eagle on the bow?






Though the ship might look fairly close in the photos it was actually out there quite a ways. Below was about as much as I could zoom in.



You can see the ship coming around a bit to recieve a little more sun.

Fort McCleary would shoot their cannons to which the USCG Eagle would reply.



Cruising past the Portsmouth Naval Prison which hasn't been occupied since 1974

Below is a brief video I recorded of the Coast Guard tall ship coming up through the harbor. You'll even see the cannons going off at Fort McCleary as well as the ship, but I have to warn you, the video is a bit rough!

You may be wondering where the rest of the ships are. So was everyone else!!! After a few minutes another tall ship came through, though I can't say which one it was since there wasn't any name on the side. I'll show it to you in my next post. That was it though, only 2 tall ships. Apparently the other 2 joined in on the parade further up river.

For more information about any of the ships and viewing times click HERE

Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse